1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a posture correction exercise device. The device is designed to operate to correct postural faults related to abnormal backward curvature of the spine (kyphosis) coupled with abnormal forward curvature of the spine (lordosis). The posture correction exercise device aids in restoring proper spinal alignment by aiding in the exercise of the spinal erectors to strengthen the erectors to pull the spine and torso backward into normal alignment and by the exercise of the mid-trapezious, rhomboids and posterior deltoid muscles to strengthen these muscles to pull the shoulder blades together, thereby forcing the shoulders into normal alignment.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The prior art describes many types of exercise apparatus designed to exercise specific muscles, muscle groups or areas of the body.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,312,366 to Prusick discloses an exercise device to exercise the abdominal and lower back muscles wherein the user sits on a generally horizontal seating surface and utilizes a resilient upright member from the rear of the seating surface to provide exercising resistance for the lower back when pressure is exerted against it by the user's upper back, and resistance to the abdominal muscles when pressure is exerted forward by the user by bending forward. U.S. Pat. No. 6,213,923 to Cameron, et al., discloses an adjustable chair which may be declined at varying angles by a user wherein the angle of decline and amount of resistance to movement of the chair is controlled by the user. The user pushes backward against the chair resistance to effect back exercises to strengthen the muscles of the lower back and abdomen. The U.S. Pat. No. 6,059,701 to George, et al., teaches an apparatus for exercising the muscles of the lower back wherein the user kneels upon a pad and leans forward with his upper back engaged with the back pad of a lever for a resistance arrangement of weight elements. As the user bends backward the user's back presses against the lever, causing the weight elements to be lifted, thus providing resistance to the spinal erector muscles.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,599,261 to Easley, et al., and 5,256,126 to Grotstein disclose exercise devices directed to exercising abdominal and lower back muscles. Easley '261 discloses a device wherein the user sits upon a seat, grips hand grips and bends forward against resistance to exercise the abdominal muscles and bends backward against resistance to exercise the lower back muscles. Grotstein '126 discloses a frame upon which the user sits and leans forward or backward against resistance to exercise the abdominal or lower back muscles.
Exercise devices for exercising lower back muscles are disclosed by Foster, U.S. Pat. No. 5,288,130, and Jones, U.S. Pat. No. 4,500,089. Foster '130 discloses an exercise chair designed to provide stabilization of the pelvis during exercise for the lower back to isolate the lumbar region from powerful leg muscles in order to exercise muscles of the trunk. Jones '089 discloses a device with a saddle-type seat for the user in up-right position. A padded roller connected with weights provides variable resistance for lifting and lowering the weights.
Chiu, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,833,590, and Fong, U.S. Pat. No. 5,100,131 disclose stretching exercise devices for back muscles exercising and stretching. Chiu '590 discloses a base frame on which the user sits and leans backward and forward against resistance. Fong '131 discloses a stationary seat on which the user sits and a backrest. The user presses against resistance of the backrest by pressing backward or forward. The stretching of both Chiu '590 and Fong '131 is accomplished by leaning backward upon a back rest.
Anderson, U.S. Pat. No. 5,496,247, discloses an exercise bench for strengthening the muscles of the lower back by having a seat mounted to an inclined beam and a knee brace mounted to the beam. The user bends forward and backward against the angle of the incline. Abdo, U.S. Pat. No. 6,248,047, discloses an exercise device having a support frame, a tension assembly comprising a resilient member mounted at the top of the upright support and engaging two arm positions, a resilient upright and two arm positioners. Easley, U.S. Pat. No. 5,599,261, teaches in FIG. 10 an inclined frame (30).
However, the above exercise devices are designed to strengthen abdominal and lower back muscles as is taught by Abdo, and a group of abdominal muscles and a group including the lower back, glutens and quadriceps muscles as taught by Easley. The instant invention is designed to aid in restoring proper spinal alignment by aiding in the exercise of the spinal erectors and by exercise of the mid-trapezious rhomboids and posterior deltoid muscles to strengthen these muscles to pull the shoulder blades together, thereby forcing the shoulders backward together to correct postural faults related to kyphosis and lordosis.
As described in the prior art, many available home or gym exercise devices/programs focus on improving one's health by way of building muscle and/or burning fat. Improvement in the shape and composition of one's body leads to better overall health. However, beyond building muscle and burning fat, the maintenance of good posture is an essential aspect of overall health overlooked by mainstream fitness. The posture exercise device satisfies a need for an affordable, easy-to-use, at-home treatment for poor posture or maintenance of good posture.
In explanation of the use of the posture correction exercise device, posture is essentially the position of the body in space. Optimal posture is the state of muscular and skeletal balance that protects the supporting structures of the body against injury or progressive deformity, whether at work or rest. Correct posture involves the positioning of the joints to provide minimum stress on the joints of the body. Posture also involves the chain-link concept of body mechanics in which problems anywhere along the body chain can lead to problems above or below that point. For example, knee pain can arise from pelvic joint disorders. Proper posture:                Keeps bones and joints in the correct alignment so that muscles are being used properly.        Helps decrease the abnormal wearing of joint surfaces that could result in arthritis.        Decreases the stress on the ligaments holding the joints of the spine together.        Prevents the spine from becoming fixed in abnormal positions.        Prevents fatigue because muscles are being used more efficiently, allowing the body to use less energy.        Prevents strain or overuse problems.        Prevents backache and muscular pain.        Contributes to good appearance.        
The causes of the abnormal postural alignments are shown to be of two categories: positional and structural. Structural causes are basically permanent anatomical deformities not amenable to correction by conservative treatments. Positional causes of poor posture include:                Poor postural habit—occurs when an individual does not maintain a correct posture, due to various reasons: pregnancy, high-heeled shoes, poor work environment, poor sitting and standing habits,        Psychological factors, especially self-esteem,        Normal developmental and degenerative processes,        Pain leading to muscle guarding and avoidance postures,        Muscle imbalance, spasm, or contracture,        Respiratory conditions,        General weakness,        Excess weight,        Loss of proprioception—the ability to perceive the position of the body.        
The symptoms of kyphosis-lordosis thus arise for many reasons. The most common of which are poor postural habits, lack of body awareness, inherent anatomical imbalances, overweight and ineffective or non-existent exercise. A typical scenario involves a person who spends much of their waking hours in a seated (slouched) position either while driving or at work, either at home or at the office. While seated or standing, tasks are performed in front of the face (through no fault of their own). Front working muscles may become stronger and tighter if not stretched, while non-working muscles will lengthen. Body awareness is lost through habitual front activities as the person “forgets” proper alignment. If counter-balance measures are not taken, form will follow function as posture alignment migrates forward. When these habits are combined with the inevitable effect of gravity, which serves to “weigh down” the spine over time (because most body weight is located in front of the spine) the alignment is pulled forward and pushed down. Eventually outward appearance suffers and health problems may ensue.
In further explanation as to the conditions of kyphosis-lordosis, kyphosis-lordosis is an increase in the normal inward curve of the low back, accompanied by a protruding abdomen and buttocks, increased flexion (outward curve) of the thoracic spine, rounded shoulders and a forward-tilted head. Many faulty postural conditions (70–80%) are of this nature.
The conditions of kyphosis-lordosis are not inevitable since muscles work in opposites (agonist/antagonist). If one muscle is contracted the opposite muscle must relax to allow the movement to occur. For example, if the biceps contracts around the elbow to perform an arm curl, the tricep must relax. Likewise, if one muscle is tight, the opposite muscle will become loose. The biomechanic conditions responsible for a kyphosis-lordosis condition are:                neck in a constant flexed (forward) position causes musculature adjoining in front (neck flexors) to tighten and pull the head/chin forward. They will maintain that position until stretched, allowing a return to normal alignment        neck in a constant flexed (forward) position causes musculature adjoining in back (cervical extensors & trapezius) to lengthen, allowing the neck and head to lean forward. They will maintain that position until strengthened, forcing a return to normal alignment.        shoulders in a constant flexed (forward) position causes musculature adjoining in front (deltoid and pectoral muscles) to tighten and pull the shoulders forward. They will maintain that position until stretched, allowing a return to normal alignment.        shoulders in a constant flexed (forward) position causes musculature adjoining in back (mid-trapezius, rhomboids, deltoids,) to lengthen, allowing the shoulders to rotate forward in rested position. They will maintain that position until strengthened, forcing a return to normal alignment.        trunk muscles in a constant flexed position cause muscular adjoining in front (abdominals/obliques) to tighten and pull the trunk forward. They will maintain that position until stretched, allowing a return to normal alignment        trunk muscles in a constant flexed (forward) position cause muscular adjoining in back (spinal erectors) to lengthen, allowing the trunk to lean forward. They will maintain that position until strengthened, forcing a return to normal alignment        a hip in a constant flexed (forward) position causes musculature adjoining in front (hip flexors) to tighten and pull the hips forward. They will maintain that position until stretched, allowing a return to normal alignment.        a hip in a constant flexed (forward) position causes musculature adjoining in back (hip extensors) to lengthen, allowing the hips to tilt forward. They will maintain that position until strengthened, allowing a return to normal alignment.        
Six corrective therapies are conventionally employed in combination for the conventional treatment of kyphosis-lordosis postural faults: heat; massage (with possible chiropractic manipulation); stretching; strengthening exercises; supportive measures (braces) to treat ligaments, bones, and nerves; and education.
An object of this invention is to provide a posture correction exercise device effective in treatment of kyphosis-lordosis postural faults by aiding the restoration of proper spinal alignment through three separate biomechanical exercises consisting of (1) extension of the lumbar region of the body against resistance, (2) contraction of the mid-trapezious, rhomboid, posterior deltoid muscles against resistance, (3) stretching of the neck flexor muscles, the trunk abdominal muscles, trunk abdominal oblique muscles, and (4) the pectorales (chest) muscles, the anterior deltoid (shoulder) muscles are also stretched by exercise of the user's body occasioned by use of the posture correction exercise device.
It is an object of this invention to provide a posture correction exercise device specifically directed to correction of kyphosis-lordosis postural faults by exercising, strengthening and stretching the muscles of the body significant in correcting the conditions of kyphosis and lordosis.
It is an object of this invention to provide a posture correction device to exercise and strengthen the spinal erectors to pull the spine and human torso backward into normal alignment to aid in correction of a condition of lordosis.
It is an object of this invention to provide a posture correction device to exercise, tone, strengthen the mid-trapezious, rhomboid and posterior deltoid muscles to pull the shoulder blades of the user together against resistance to force the shoulders into normal alignment to aid in correction of a condition of kyphosis.
It is an object of this invention to provide a posture correction device to exercise, tone and strengthen the spinal erectors to pull the spine and torso backward into normal spinal alignment, to tone and exercise the mid-trapezious, rhomboid and posterior deltoid muscles to pull the shoulder blades together of the user to force the shoulders into normal alignment and the head into a forward position to complete spinal realignment with suitable stretching exercises accomplished through separate stretching strategies to aid in correction of the condition of kyphosis-lordosis.